John Heard Jr., John Boy, was insubordinate, was lyrical, was ridiculously unselfish, and he was charismatic as hell. He was so authentic, so straightforward, so odd, so sensual, and so bold.
He would be turning 75 years today.
“I used to be a good actor. When I was younger, I was going to be a big star.” – John Heard.
But nothing was more potent than Heard’s review in life. He breathed in hard, electric, and fearlessly. He was wild and passionate. He was as faithful, loyal, honest, dedicated, loyal, genuine, dependable, trustworthy, and generous as they come. He was a friend and a dear neighbor and a legend in his time.
In 2008, he said: “I think I had my time. I dropped the ball, as my father would say. I could have done more with my career than I did, and I got sidetracked. But that’s OK, that’s alright, that’s the way it is—no sour grapes. I mean, I don’t have any regrets except that I could have played some more significant parts. I could have played Hamlet, I could have played Iago in Othello, I could have played A Long Day’s Journey, and I had some problems, and it didn’t work. And those … I regret. I regret not having those heavyweight parts under my belt.”
His favorites jobs : Cutter’s Way, Mindwalk and C.H.U.D
My favorite Heard’s movies : Mindwalk ( 1990) and Steel City (2006)
